Duke basketball appears to be pursuing Jordan Smith Jr. from Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.), having already recruited four players from this school in the past decade: Trevor Keels, Jeremy Roach, and current freshmen Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba II. Notably, Jordan Smith Jr., a five-star guard, is currently ranked higher in the 247Sports 2026 Composite than his predecessors. He recently moved up six spots to No. 8 among rising high school juniors.
Smith was one of the first 2026 recruits contacted by the Duke basketball staff on June 15, the opening day for direct communication with 2026 prospects. Smith revealed to HS Top Recruits on Saturday that Duke, along with Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, and Syracuse, had coaches present at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul to watch him play. As one of the youngest on the USA Basketball U17 National Team, Smith is competing alongside several top-five recruits from the 2025 and 2026 classes, including five Duke targets: Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat, and Jalen Haralson.
Despite coming off the bench, Smith has made an impact during Team USA’s 2-0 start in Group B play, averaging 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 15.0 minutes per game, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point range.
While Duke has yet to extend any offers to 2026 prospects, Smith is clearly a strong candidate.
